Three Times the Man
by Frailly
Summary: It takes three times for the almighty Time lord to stop being a coward and face the most heart breaking of sights; a tearful Donna.


Disclaimer: I own nothing but my love of Doctor who

Summary: It takes three times for the almighty Time lord to stop being a coward and face the most heart breaking of sights; a tearful Donna.

**Three times the man**

The Doctor stared out at the console and babbled on ridiculously and set the coordinates to the beginning of the Earth because to stop would mean to focus on the woman across from him.

The beautiful ginger woman, all covered in freckles and fire and crying silently into her lap, having just been crushed by that disgusting man Lance. The sight broke the Doctors hearts.

And it broke his hearts not just because she had clearly been wounded or because she was hurting but because she was crying silently.

People only cried silently when they were alone or when they accepted that even if they bawled loudly to the heavens, nobody would listen.

_Oh Donna, I'd listen, cry to me and I'll hold you, I'll share your pain. Please don't ever feel that you're alone,_ the Doctor silently thought, but otherwise he was too much of a coward to approach or even talk to her.

So he distracted her instead with the beginning of the Earth. And as she stared out into that old but new universe, the Doctor looked at her, and decided she was firstly, far better off without that no good for nothing Lance, and secondly, that Donna was far more beautiful to look at than anything currently outside the doors.

He was silent in remembrance as he hastily pulled on levers and pushed various buttons, once more placed in an eerily seemlier situation.

Across from him, in a mirror image of before, apart from the wedding dress of course, was Donna, crying, silently and sadly into her lap, trying for all she was worth not to make a sound or to shake and give away her turmoil.

Once more she had been reduced to tears through vicious words of an idiot; except the idiot this time was him.

He made an approach, but faltered, seeing her straighten up and wipe her cheeks clear of the tears that had marred her pale skin. She had her eyes closed, and the Doctor had good sense to look away before she realised he had seen the whole thing.

So, like a coward, he turned away and listened as she took a deep breath and stood up.

'Well anyway, would you like a cuppa space man?' She asked in her most casual of voice, but the wobble of the last word hung between them like a bull in a china shop.

'Yes thanks. That would be lovely earth girl.' The Doctor said affectionately, smiling at her in what he hoped was a loving, supportive way, and thankfully Donna did smile in acceptance before disappearing down towards the kitchen.

He slammed his hand flat on the console earning a grumble from his TARDIS and a sore hand.

The third time it happened however, he was ready to be the man she needed once and for all.

He put the TARDIS into the time vortex, and straightened his tie nervously.

'Donna.' He started strongly, and the crying red head jolted back to the real world, looking up at him through watery eyes.

'Yes?' She had already begun to rub her eyes and pretend that she was fine.

'Please don't cry. I'm sorry.' He apologised and Donna gave a shaky smile, waving her hand to brush it aside.

'Doesn't matter, used to it.' She said softly, the teary wobble firmly back in her voice.

'No it does matter, it matters a lot and it matters even more because you shouldn't be used to it.' He said, having knelt before her and taken her smaller hands in his large ones.

She sniffed and he automatically pulled her into a small hug.

'See the thing is Donna, the first time you cried on here,' He gestured around him, 'was when Lance said those disgusting and completely untrue things about you. And I wanted to kill him for it, but more so, I wanted to comfort you and hold you and make you better but I was afraid to.'

'Doctor its fine.' She meekly said again but the Doctor shook his head at her and continued.

'No please listen... you should never cry because of something some stupid bloke said. I wanted to kill him for saying unkind things to you, and yet, the next time it happened...it was down to something I said and again just now and I really don't want you to cry over anything I say, because it's all in the heat of the moment and I really would never ever mean it, please don't cry, I'm sorry.' He finished and was rewarded with a soft smile from Donna.

'Come here.' He encouraged and pulled her into a much tighter hug. And so he had succeeded in doing what he wanted to do all along, hold her and take those silent tears away because he was listening, he had always been listening.

**Please review if you liked it, it was just a small thing...:D **

**Frailly**


End file.
